


Their place in the world

by CallmeAlai



Series: Black Widow's Child [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Clint Barton, Parent Natasha Romanov, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 11:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30004488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallmeAlai/pseuds/CallmeAlai
Summary: Sometimes, life puts people in situations that force them to reconsider their past choices. Sometimes, those situations are alien invasions, and those choices have to do with children, love and home. Three things Natasha most definitely does not have.Does she?
Relationships: Clint Barton & Original Female Character(s), Clint Barton/Laura Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Black Widow's Child [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207169
Kudos: 12





	Their place in the world

**Author's Note:**

> A few disclaimers before people freak out:  
> \- I might add content warnings in the notes of each chapter for events specific to them. Since some of them could be spoilers, I will add them in a Spoiler Danger Zone at the end of the notes for you to read or avoid at your own discretion.  
> \- This fic is set after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, in a universe where the good guys won and Thanos did not. I started writing it a few years ago as a fix-it fic that got out of hand and became its own story and now I'm too far along to stop XD  
> \- All characters except Kate belong to Marvel and Disney.  
> \- English is not my first language, pointing out my mistakes helps me avoid them in the future, please feel free to do it.  
> Enjoy and smile!

_Budapest, May 2003_

When Clint Barton had been told he would be sent to Europe for a mission, he had been a bit proud of himself. After a few years of working with S.H.I.E.L.D., and having proved his worth by recruiting the Black Widow herself, he felt he deserved to be trusted with something big. Director Fury had then called Romanoff into the room as well, and informed them both that they would take the mission together, as a team. 

What had at first sounded like a good idea had not taken too long to prove otherwise. The mission had gone smooth for the first week, as they waited for their target to show up while pretending to be a couple of newlyweds on their honeymoon. However, the mission had taken an unexpected turn, as their target, a group of weapons traffickers, took a detour in their planned route. One week became three, and boredom led to bad decisions. By the time they finally got done and returned home, they both had things to regret. Things that were not mentioned in the mandatory debriefing with Fury, things that they swore to keep in secret, no matter what. 

An impulse decision that Natasha had to deal with the consequences of. Clint got married shortly after they returned from their mission, long before she knew the true extent of the repercussions of their actions. Before she learned of one more thing in her life that had been a lie. Before she had to worry about things like ice cream at three in the morning and pregnancy tests.

It had been two months since Budapest and Natasha was sitting in the waiting room of a reproductive health clinic, thinking. Next to her sat Fury, the only person she had trusted enough to tell the truth to. He had not tried to pressure her into keeping the baby; he had not really tried to pressure her into anything at all. Natasha was thankful for that. He had simply sat with her and listened, something no one had ever really done for her before. She had made up her mind and arranged the appointment, she was ready to go through with her decision, but she still felt a pressure in her chest that she knew too well. The feeling that her decision was not really hers. Natasha knew that she could not be a mother; her lifestyle was not one that allowed for things such as maternity leave or parent-teacher conferences. And yet, she was afraid. Afraid of making the wrong choice. 

The nurse called her name, and she walked over to the front desk, for the first time in her life having lost the usual confidence in her step. Halfway between the desk and the exit, however, her fear suddenly made sense. It was not for herself. She was afraid that she could not give her child a perfect life. The pressure in her chest disappeared, and the child she was carrying stopped being her mission to become her baby. 

Fury took care of everything. Over the following months, he made sure that Natasha's child would get to grow up safely. She helped, of course, meeting in person with every family Fury recommended, all of them relatives of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, people they could trust. If she could not provide a safe home for her baby, she would find people who could, until her debt was paid and S.H.I.E.L.D. did not require her service anymore, when she would finally be able to make her own choice.

* * *

_New York, February 2004_

She had given birth twenty minutes earlier. The room was silent as she waited for the nurses and doctors to finish the tests and let her hold her daughter. 

The nurse finally arrived, with the girl bundled up in a pink blanket, and informed Natasha that she weighted almost seven pounds and measured seventeen and a half inches. Then, he placed the baby on Natasha's chest, while explaining that contact was important in the first few hours of life.

As far as Natasha was concerned, the child was the most beautiful she had ever seen. A full head of bright red hair. Her father's deep green eyes. A sweet smile that showed up after the initial confusion of seeing her mother, when Natasha started talking to her. She knew immediately that, no matter what might happen, there was no way she would ever stop loving her. 

A gentle knock on the door reminded Natasha that Fury was still waiting outside, and she allowed him to enter the room. He did not even need to ask.

"Her name is Katja. Katja Romanoff. We can Americanize it later, it will be easier for the families that way."

"She is gorgeous. Congratulations." He gave a half smile and offered a Snickers bar, while taking a seat on the chair next to the bed. Natasha accepted the gift, but left it aside; she knew Fury was not there to compliment the newborn, and the thought alone left her stomach in knots. 

He looked away, like the news were too hard to get out and he feared he might not be able to say it if he saw the baby. 

"The couple is ready when you are. I asked them to give you two weeks, to recover and bond with the baby. The doctor said that's important."

Natasha wanted to thank him for the effort. For giving her some extra time to ponder the different possibilities. But the lump in her throat would not let her, so she just nodded instead. 

The two weeks flew by, and the day came to leave Katja with her new family. Natasha remained strong, as she handed the carrycot with the sleeping baby to the new foster parents, holding back the tears just long enough, before breaking down in her car, still in the parking lot. Despite that, she knew the arrangement was only temporary. She had made a vow, to get her daughter back as soon as possible, and she would fulfill it.

Time went by, and every year, as Katja's birthday approached, Natasha told herself that was the one. That was the day when she would leave the spy life behind and find her child, and make up for the time they had lost. But every year, something new came up, something important, and she found herself in a new danger, not knowing if she would even survive. And then she was recruited for the Avengers, and new threats appeared. And later, the Winter Soldier had come back from the dead, and then S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen apart. After that, she had lost track of her completely, and given up any hope of ever finding her. 

* * *

_Wakanda, April 2018_

It had not been an easy week. The battle had left the Avengers and all their allies exhausted, and gathering the bodies of the fallen had taken the entire day. As the sun began to set, and once all the reunions were over, T'Challa made sure everyone had a place to stay in for the night.   
Watching the dusk from her window, Natasha took a deep breath. After so many years, the recent events had made her question whether her daughter was really safer without her. Maybe it was time to follow Clint's example and retire. Maybe she could move somewhere remote, find a pretty cottage in the countryside and give Katja the life she had always wanted for her. It was about time for her to make a choice, and she made it freely. She took her phone from the nightstand and made the call. Fury answered.


End file.
